


Winter

by Blue_Hood



Series: Not What They Seem [7]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Supernatural Elements, Vampire Bites, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 06:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19436008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Hood/pseuds/Blue_Hood
Summary: Clint gets Tony on a feeding schedule just in time to leave.





	1. Schedule

The Avengers surprisingly kept a better schedule than SHIELD. This made getting Tony on a feeding schedule much easier. After his midnight visit to Clint's floor, the vampire advised "Sleep off the early effects, wait about half a day before offering and the urges will come later."

The next time he felt the craving, he waited half a day before turning to Clint in his workshop "It's time."

Clint looked up from his tablet and laughed "You sound like you're talking about your execution." He set the tablet down and walked over "Wrist or neck, you pick. You'll get the high either way."

Relaxed by Clint's proximity, Tony sighed "Neck." Clint mentally shrugged and lightly grasped Tony's upper arms as he leaned down to bite. The high made Tony feel euphoric, further relaxing him before Clint drew back and released him. The archer retook his seat, picking up the tablet like nothing happened.

Eventually, the schedule was like clockwork. As was Tony's sleeping and eating schedule, the inventor no longer needing Clint to lull him while appreciating the finger foods for lunch.

As winter approached, Clint informed them at a team dinner, "I need to go visit my kids while daylight's short. Tony still needs a keeper, just to feed him and keep Dummy's smoothies out of his system."

"The bot still not understand humans cannot consume motor oil?" asked Darcy.

"Yeah," admitted Tony before asking "How long are you gonna be?"

"I have time saved up from working my off shifts so," catching Tony's eye, "I'll only stop by to feed."

"Alright."

Darcy agreed "Yeah, alright. You've helped me keep Jane fed, I'll return the favor."

Hearing her name, the astrophysicist looked up "Huh? What's happening?"

Clint waved a dismissive hand "I'm gonna leave when winter's at its height to see my kids and Tony needs someone to feed him while I'm gone. Darcy volunteered."

Darcy told her friend "Clint makes those chicken nuggets you like because they don't leave crumbs."

Jane gave an appreciative hum "How do you make them crumbless?"

Clint smirked "Over a hundred years on Earth, you pick up a few tricks." Casual reminders of his age had slowly become commonplace.


	2. Lila

The way Clint packed, you'd never know he was anything but delusionally optimistic about winter weather. He wasn't a fan of sleeves, finding out he didn't need them was anticlimactic. Before he left, he made Steve promise to make sure the scientists lived off more than takeout and coffee. Rather than leave without a word as he would in the past, he had JARVIS call everyone together for their last dinner together for a while. There he gave everyone a business card for Xavier's school, "Charles said you guys can visit whenever but to call first. He's been handling Barnes' therapy." With backup arranged, he got a soldier's send off to war, smirking at the irony as he shadow jumped away.

Lila hugged him the second she caught his eye, iridescent purple is a unique color. She herded him in where her bonded human awkwardly shook his hand. Flashing his fangs for a laugh, Clint thoroughly ignored the man in favor of catching up with his daughter. Lila invited him to visit a club with her, Clint asked "What about him?" pointing to her human roommate.

Loving Lila looked at the man, "Sit down and wait for us." He immediately obeyed.

Clint smirked until he was out of sight, his smile turned into a scowl "Persuasion?" Using one of their names for verbal mind control, the nicer one being charm.

Lila shrugged "We have an understanding. He obeys me and I pretend he's not a freeloader."

Clint stopped them both "How exactly is he freeloading?"

"He's unemployed and lives off me."

"How are you able to provide?"

"Father, I can pass for mid-twenties."

"Working a bar?"

Lila nodded, Clint let her shoulder go "He handles the housework. Least he's not wasting my money."

"Not freeloading. Freeloaders do nothing but take everything," explained Clint. "Please try to use the right word so I don't worry."

"Fine."

Clint always enjoyed his daughter's tastes, in people, places and property. Vampires couldn't get drunk but they could party with the best drunks. When they returned, her human was waiting as ordered. She kissed him, "Take care of my father, Tyler."

Taking Clint's bags, Tyler showed the older man to a spare room. Rather than leave, he awaited commands, Clint raised an eyebrow "Tyler."

"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

Clint mentally groaned, the man was a thrall like Laura kept before she went crazy. "No, I'm good and you did good." Praise was key to avoid a panic. Tyler mechanically nodded and went to Lila's room.

Clint spent the rest of his stay painstakingly explaining why keeping a thrall was not okay since doing such depended on mind control. Lila understood but didn't know how to change in a human lifetime so Clint taught her how to detox someone hopped up on persuasion pheromones.


	3. Anthony

Clint found his youngest trying to scare a human into submission, he intervened "May I, son?"

Stepping back, Anthony said "Go ahead."

Turning to the human, Clint exuded calm "You will do as we say." Glancing at Anthony, "What do you want him to do?" Clint phrased the request in a friendly manner and the human rolled over. With one punch, Clint knocked the snitch out. Looking at his son, he smiled "As humans say, you catch more flies with honey. The key is to project calm, we call this ability charm for a reason."

"Thank you."

"If you'd like to try it out, I could take you to a bar. You look too young to drink."

Anthony grimaced at the bottle after charming the bartender, "Tastes horrible."

Clint sipped "You drank too fast. Don't chug, sip. It gets better." Anthony took his advice and shook his head. "If it's any consolation, your siblings agree."

"You drink it."

"I don't expect much, you'll find bars make great hunting grounds if you play your cards right."

Anthony shrugged "I can see it." He set the bottle down, "Do shots taste any better?"

"Don't drink on an empty stomach, you'll never enjoy alcohol that way." Looking around, he asked "What are you into? Guys? Girls? Both?"

Anthony looked around "I'm not picky about a one nighter."

"In other words, you don't know your preference."

Anthony shook his head, "I guess."

Clint locked eyes on a giggly blond, "Always the classics."

The woman working the bar waited for Anthony to leave before admonishing Clint, who turned it around on her with a heartfelt admission about how he wished he could've been there for his son in his time of need. A true sob story he would make sure she didn't remember. Clint waved off her pity, "Could I get a couple of signature shots ready for when he brings her over?"

The bartender looked up, "He's quite talented."

"He gets that from his mother, she was a few years old than me."

"Really? Are all your kids by her?"

"She's older but we were both young, rushed into marriage, had two kids, fell out of love, I didn't know about kid number three until soon before her death." In relative terms. "You don't want to hear about my drama, least I don't think she will," he turned around as Anthony brought the blond over "Got you two some shots. Tell ya what, son, I'll cover the tab."

After his first shot, Anthony nodded, "We're gonna step outside for a minute then."

"I'll give you five before I take the shots."

Anthony, or Alex, led Marrisa outside with the offer of a high like no other. Coming back inside, they finished their shots and left. Clint tossed a fifty and told the bartender "I'm leaving with my friend and that's all you know." Before dropping the charm, "Keep the change." He followed Anthony out, "Son?"

Marissa looked offended, "Who is that old guy?"

Turning on the charm with a sigh turned smirk, Clint put one hand on her cheek "Tell me your name and age."

"Marrisa Cole, I'm 23."

Turning to Anthony, his tone turned sharp "Name?"

"Alex Clinton."

"What happened to a one time off?"

"I bit her neck."

"So? Unless you intended a bond, the only thing you created was a feeding high."

"Oh."

Glancing at Marrisa, he said "Stay still and silent, blondie." Looking Alex in the eye, he said "Tonight we'll practice persuasion. Tomorrow night we'll start going over legends, and yes you need to understand them because most myths are made from facts. I haven't been a good father, I intend to change that. Your appearance reflects your maturity." Tilting his head towards Marrisa, he asked "Wanna keep her or get something healthier? A big part of our anonymity relies on our charm."

"Healthier?"

"Believe me, healthy blood is the best."

"Alright, I will."

Locking eyes, Clint said "Tomorrow you'll remember you went drinking, had a one night stand and woke up alone in your bed. Go home to make it believable." She walked away, Clint slapped her back "Once in a trance, they'll obey mechanically. The only thing ensuring they live is their unwavering desire to fulfill their orders. Trust me, she'll make it even if she is ghosting through."

"Wow."

"Fear is weak and love can be lost. They're not the great motivators humans believe them to be." Clint explained as he led Anthony away.

"A store? Really?"

"Hospitals are good too but they tend to miss people sooner. A great place is a hotel, maybe the best but a store is great for a bite."

"Okay," Anthony remained skeptical.

"Before you ever bite someone, keep your senses focused on three things to avoid. Smokers, drunks, and the sleep deprived. The last one can look exhausted or jittery because they'll either toughen through it or chug some stimulant like caffeine or energy drinks. In avoiding those, you'll get a good look at the person's overall health."

"Okay." Anthony asked "Can I feed on anyone?"

"Yeah. Just don't tell them to ignore their phone or act natural, you're charming them not bossing them."

"Why not tell them to act natural?"

"That order doesn't work well, in trying to act natural they do the opposite."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"If you really like a certain human, you can routinely drink from them without a bond but if no one is especially tasty, you should rotate targets until you get the schedules down. If you lick a bite, the mark vanishes. That's it. Oh and a bathroom is just as good as an alley if not better. Biting can look like kissing so there's no real need to hide like a drug dealer."

"Got it. I just go in."

"Remember what to avoid and use charm not intimidation. Go on in."

Clint chatted with the cart return guy until Anthony returned. He followed his son home "Charm is fun."

"Yeah, it is."

"After we go over legends, will you teach me to bond?"

"Yeah. Wanna repaint your room at my place? Or have it repainted, rather?"

"Yeah, I usually stay in your room when I'm there."

"Your mother kept humans as what we call thralls."

"I know, I lived with her."

Clint chuckled "Alright. When we were together, that was her space and the hidden room was mine."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Did you know I own the building?"

"You do?"

"Yup. That's how we're able to have a hidden room filled with blood bags. Before you were born, we called that the blood room. Your mom called your room her office. Part of the reason we broke up is I found out she fed from more than one thrall."

"The chains," muttered Anthony.

"We should redecorate while the days are short."

"Yeah," Anthony smiled. "Do I get to pick my color scheme?"

"Green, blue or orange with white or beige walls and wood paneling."

"What? Why?"

"Give the rooms a theme."

"Blue and beige," conceded Anthony.

"Alright." They walked in silence for a while before Clint spoke up again "What are we gonna do about your mother's stuff?"

Anthony suggested "Box it all up and put it in the spare closet in your room."

"Sounds like a plan. Where do you live?"

Anthony shrugged "Around."

Clint stopped, putting his hands on his son's shoulders so they were facing "Around?"

"Yeah, I look 19 and I don't have a job."

"First off, you could work as a bouncer at a club as long as you don't feed from there. Secondly, you should know that there's always a few apartments available for my children in the building my place is in, I happen to own the building."

"Probably built it too," muttered Anthony.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that but if you don't want to sleep there, you have options. You have me, Lila and Cooper to give you options."

"I don't want to be the baby!"

"Anthony, you're not."

"Sure sounds like it," Anthony looked away.

"You are all that's left of your mother, all that's beautiful and painful about the woman I loved I see in you." Clint steered them off the street, "Anthony, you are not the baby. Lila has me and her brothers, just like Cooper has me, you and Lila. We are a family. We get together once a year to show we're all here, to show we're alive and to be with family. We don't want to distance ourselves from each other because last time we did that, it took over a year for word to get around that Laura was dead. I want the same thing from all three of you, I want you to be happy and to be sane. That's all I can and will ever ask of any of you. As your siblings can tell you, the only time I will ever tell you to just do what I say is when I fear for your lives. I don't want you as a servant to blindly obey, I want you as my son to be happy. Alright?"

After a moment, Anthony looked his way and hugged him "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I, on the other hand, should apologize for not being clear to you about what I wanted or expected or even thought of you. I should've said all of that the first time I saw you, even if you couldn't do anything about it. I should've reminded you every single time I saw you that you are my son, you are not a burden. I should've let you know that I am your father, not merely some vampire your mother conceived you with. Here I've been silently judging you, seeing your mother while claiming you as my own without realizing that you are both our child." Clint tightened his hold on Anthony "If I have to spend the rest of my long life making it up to you, I will. In fact, I'll start right now with getting us a place to stay for the night. What city are we in?"

"Detroit."

"Really?"

Anthony nodded "Bad city, easy to disappear in."

"We're not staying in Detroit and you don't need a bad city to disappear in." He started walking with on arm around Anthony "Did I ever tell you about the Dust Bowl?"

His son's grin seemed indulgent, like a child listening to a story their grandfather had told a million times, "I know the gist."

"I doubt that. Dust storms made ideal hunting grounds, the sun would be blotted out by the storm. Everyone rushing for cover, people passing through places on their way to California. Nowadays, that land is home to some of the hottest weather in the country."

"Huh."

Clint's eye caught on a homeless man and he strode over "Hello, sir. Could you tell me where we are? I seem to be lost."

"Detroit, ain't nobody come here on purpose."

"Thank you." Twisting his lips into a frown, he asked "You wouldn't happen to know a good city to stop in, would you?" Clint pulled out his wallet, "Even if you don't, I can give you some money for food tonight. Twenty dollars work?"

"How much if I steer you out of trouble?"

"Fifty," Clint said without missing a beat.

"Alright, Dearborn is pretty good." The man pointed and Clint handed over the cash before leading his son away.

Spotting a woman getting in her car, Clint slipped up and grabbed the door before she could close it. Turning up the charm before she could scream or mace him, he said "Hello, ma'am. You wouldn't mind giving me and my son a ride, would you?"

With an easy smile, she shook her head and Clint waved his son over, "Where to?"

"Dearborn, I hear it's safer than Detroit. Just drop us off in the center of town there."

"Alright, buckle up."

Her two passengers obliged before Clint said "Please don't mind up, just focus on safe driving, ma'am." Turning to his son, he spoke in a quiet voice to avoid any well-meaning eavesdropping "Charm is good for more than scoring dates."

"Right."

* * *

Leaving Dearborn the next night Clint took Anthony to find a better home by shadow-jumping to Seattle, "This is a rainy city which makes it a dark city and, bonus, the winters here suck."

"So it's dark a lot? So what?"

"Darkness is our friend. We'll score you a night job, place to stay and scope out some food sources before I visit Cooper."

"Before?"

"I stayed with Lila first because having a human means she has a stable home."

"What-? What are you talking about?"

"Winter makes days short, I figured I'd visit all of my kids while the nights are long."

Anthony stared wide-eyed "You planned this? You're not just checking in to make sure I'm not putting us all at risk? You're not doing this just because of me?"

Clint sighed, rubbing a hand over his face "I'm visiting you second because I realized Laura probably didn't teach you much about your abilities."

Anthony smirked "Do I really need a job? Can't I just live off humans with my powers?"

"Your brother was working twelve hour night shifts with me before he first fed from the source."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. Bouncer and bartender gigs give you a chance to meet humans you might want to bond with." Anthony nodded and Clint asked "Do you like the name Alex or was that spur of the moment?"

"Both."

"Want me to start calling you that?"

"Sure."

"Let's get a bite to eat, I'll have a sandwich and you can have the server if you can charm them."

Anthony/Alex smirked "You're on."

After eating, Clint taught his son to read humans before letting him loose to test his abilities. Unfortunately, the older vampire literally couldn't help overhearing the flirting of every couple in the area. This had the usual effect of making him wish he could get drunk just to better block people out. When one guy took it a little too far, Clint grabbed the guy's shoulder and pulled him off. Giving the girl a nod, he marched the asshole out and into the alley "One free shot before I put you in the hospital, for which you will refuse to press charges lest you have to confess to sexual harassment. Take the free shot and learn your lesson the hard way or get lost and be sure to never harass people again, your choice?"

Of course the dick decided to take a swing, which landed forcing Clint to roll with it to avoid exposure. Ten seconds later, the archer was anonymously calling an ambulance for some guy bleeding a lot in an alley. He'd been extra careful to use his skills not superpowers, in case the fight was caught on CCTV. Going back into the bar after using the KO'd bastard's phone, he sat down and ordered another shot. The woman the douche had been harassing came over with her friends, "I wanted to thank you for getting the asshole away from me."

Having total mastery of his powers, Clint could turn his charm up and down like a dial. For this, he kept it down but not off "Yeah, buy some shots and we'll call it even." Giving her a half-smile, he said "I can't very well ask for more than that after what just went down."

Nodding, the woman told the bartender to put his shots on her tab. She looked at him and asked "What's your name?"

"Frank. Yours?"

"Natalie. Well, Frank, thanks again for getting that asshole away from me."

The bartender, Matt his nametag said, overheard and asked "Do you want to press charges?"

"For what?" asked Natalie.

"Sexual harassment. If you do then you'll have to go outside and tell the paramedics, say a good Samaritan intervened but don't mention my name. I called him an ambulance after he blacked out."

Natalie nodded and went outside with her friends behind her. As soon as the paramedics arrived, she pulled one aside to explain the situation. Keeping with the good Samaritan who she didn't know the name of. The paramedic invited her to ride along in the front, keeping her away from her attacker. Natalie did and her friends went back inside to find Frank chatting with Matt the bartender, another man in his twenties sitting beside the good Samaritan. Matt was nodding along and looking the younger man over before he sighed and went into the back. A moment later, Matt returned with the manager came out and spoke directly to the younger man. The girls realized when the manager came out that Frank was busy.

Clint finished up telling Matt why Alex would be a great bouncer when Natalie's friends returned. The bartender realized there was no point arguing with the other man and retrieved the manager, David, to try to reason with Alex. By the end of the night, Alex was hired and "Frank" had paid Natalie's tab in cash. Matt asked "Do you usually carry a lot of cash?"

"Uh, no. I usually don't carry my wallet at all."

"Ah, I see."

Standing, Clint issued the command to limit what Matt will remember before leaving. When he passed a familiar building as he wandered around, Clint backtracked and stared at the structure before he remembered why it was familiar. Slipping inside, he swiped the master keys and went downstairs to one apartment that was perpetually unoccupied yet unavailable. Finding the furniture covered in dusty sheets, Clint uncovered the couch and bed before leaving with his keys. After returning the master set, he went back to the bar to give Anthony one of the standard two keys along with directions to the place. Shadow-jumping to his place in New York, he prepared Anthony's room for redecorating and placed a call to the company that did the other rooms. With all the metal implements locked away in Laura's closet, he returned to Seattle.

Between shifts as a bar's bouncer, finding food sources, and learning all the myths, Anthony grew into a more adult appearance. Finally, he appeared old enough to drink and Clint found a forger to make him a driver's license. Their time was over too soon. Cooper, like most vampires Clint knew, didn't believe in keeping a phone for long, or in his case at all.


	4. Cooper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. Honestly? I got nothing so this is more headcannon-y than the others.

Cooper was always cautious, which is something but admirable and annoying. Sometimes he was paranoidly cautious, others he was subtly cautious but always cautious. Ever since Monica, a relationship that was like the romance novels. Like Clint, Cooper was a family man and he had a sixth sense about his family, detecting them no matter how careful they were. He was by far the easiest to visit. Lila got attached to humans, and while Cooper didn't, he was also much more picky about bonding. Anthony- Clint would be the first to admit he'd seriously misunderstood his youngest- was still learning what he could do. Though he often joked about it, Clint wished his oldest hadn't had to grow up so fast. In hindsight, Clint realized that Cooper aged much faster than Lila and at a much steadier pace than Anthony.

Visiting Cooper was comparable to visiting a military academy. Clint's most cautious family member kept himself on a strict schedule any military commander would approve of. If he thought of his oldest more like he'd thought of his youngest, Clint would say Cooper viewed his presence as an annoyance. Cooper was pleasant but so were noble lords forced to host the heads of rival houses. Clint mourned the early loss of youth his firstborn suffered.

Returning home, Clint was emotionally exhausted and passed out on the penthouse couch paying no mind to the power couple nearby.


End file.
